Method of rebuilding lasts



Aug. 8, 1933. E, w, DURKEE METHOD OF RE BUILDING LASTS 2 Sheets-Sheeh l Filed Feb. 17, 1931 Aug. 8, 1933. E. w. DURKEE 1,920,974

METHOD OF REBUILDING LASTS Filepl Feb. 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y wmw g Patented Aug. 8, 1933 PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF REBUIIIDING LASTS Ernest W. Durkee, Lynn, Mass, assignor to E. W.

Durkee Last Company, Lynn, Mass., a partnership comprising Ernest W. Durkee and William J. Clark Application February, 1931. Serial No. 516,326

8 Claims.

My present invention relates to lasts, and more particularly to a novel method of rebuilding lasts for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes.

At the present time the life and utility of a shoe last is determined by the duration of the style or character of the particular shoe for which said last is intended.

When a change in style or character or shoes occurs, lasts which have heretofore been in use are discarded, their utility being at an end. It is customary in factories making high grade welt shoes to allow the last to remain in the shoe five to eight days. It is apparent, then, that the shoe manufacturer must have on hand a quantity of lasts equivalent to five to eight times the daily production of any given style. This entails a considerable investment, with a consequent resulting loss of said investment upon change of style necessitating a different last, as the large stock of lasts which the manufacturer has on hand is not adapted or suitable for manufacturing shoes of the changed type.

In most types of lasts, particularly the twopart or hinged lasts, the heel-part and the rear ard construction, any changes in style or char-'- acter of the shoes to be built on these lasts being represented by changes in contour, size, and dimensions largely of the front and top of the forepart of the lasts. i

An important object of the present invention, therefore, resides in reclaiming lasts which are out of style, removing-therefrom a substantial portion of the fore-part, from the cone thereof forwardly, and substituting therefor a fore-part portion embodying the contours, dimensions and sizes necessary to produce shoes of the new style or character desired.

In carrying out my present invention I sever a substantial portion of the fore-part of a last preferably from a point below the cone of said fore-part to a point approximately midway of the bottom of the fore-part. This severance is effected preferably by a straight saw cut, leaving a flat surface on the remaining portion of the fore-part. To this fiat surface I then apply a blockof wood, preferably with the grain running' in the same direction as the grain of the remaining. portion of the fore-part, andunite this block to said remaining fore-part portion by suitable adhesive, as well asby mechanical uniting means, such as-wooden dowels, bolt and nut, or the like.

The last thus far formed is then placed in a portion of the fore-part are of substantially stand- I 'tion. suitable turning lathe and the rough block of the fore-part is turned and formed to the contours, sizes, and dimensions desired. By utilizing this method I am enabled to effect a wide variation in last sizes, contours, shapes, and styles, from a substantially standard base comprising the heel part and the rear portion of the fore-part of an original last.

I believe that the method of reclaiming and rebuilding lasts as illustrated and described in the present application is novel, and have therefore claimed the same herein.

I also believe that a rebuilt last constructed according to the present invention is novel, and

' have therefore claimed said last as an article of 7 manufacture, herein.

Other objects and features of the invention re-,- side in the particular construction and arrangement of the rebuilt last, as well as in the particular sequence of steps required in carrying out my process, and all of the above, together with other objects and featdres of the invention; combinations of parts, advantages, and details of construction, will be hereinafter more fully pointed out, described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a last with a substantial portion of the fore-part severed therefrom;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the last illustrated in Fi 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section,

illustrating the application of the rough block to the base portion of the last of Figs. 1 and 2;

' and Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating the addition of a cooperating tenon and groove on the fore-part portions to further assist in uniting and strengthening the forepart portions.

Referring now to the drawings, for a particular description of the invention, 10 designates the heel portion of a two-part last, 11 being the fore-part thereof. Suitable hinge members are utilized to unite the fore-part and heel-part, these hinge members being of any desired construction, and not being illustrated herein, as the, same do not constitute a part of my invention. The spring 12 is of usual construction, and serves to hold the last parts 10 and 11 in extended posi- It will be noted, from a glance atFig. 1, that no the last illustrated is a square toed last, and it being assumed that the shoe manufactured on the last of Fig. 1 has gone out of style, I make a cut, by any suitable means such as a circular saw, along the line 13, extending from a point below the cone 14 of the fore-part and inclining downwardly toward the front of the fore-part to the point 15, which is substantially midway of the tread portion of the fore-part, thus severing a substantial portion 16 from the fore-part of the last. The above described severance of the portion 16 will leave a flat surface on the remainder of the fore-part 11, and to this flat surface I apply a rough block 1'? having a flat surface 18 adapted to lie smoothly against the fiat surface of the fore-part portion 11.

A recess 19 is formed in the portion 11, and a dowel pin 20, preferably of wood, projects through the block 17 and into the recess 19. The fore-part 11 is also provided with a recess 21, in which is seated a bolt 22, this bolt projecting into the block 17 which is provided with a recess 23, a nut 24 being seated in said recess and held against turning by said recess, whereby the bolt 22 may be rotated within the nut 24 firmly binding'the block 17 on to the fore-part portion 11. Wooden plugs 25 and 26 are provided to fill the recesses 21 and 23 and form a smooth flush outer surface. Before the block 17 is applied to the fiat surface formed on the fore-part 11, one or both of the fiat contacting faces is coated with glue or other suitable adhesive. Thus, when united, the block 17 will become substantially an integral part of the forepart 11, and the union between the block 17 and fore-part 11 will be stronger than the original wood of the last.

After the block 1'7 has been united to the forepart 11, and the glue or other adhesive utilized as a bond has hardened or set, the last as constructed in Fig. 3 is then placed in a suitable turning lathe or machine and the block 17 turned to the desired size, shape, contour and dimensions, of the new style character of the shoes to be manufactured on the rebuilt last. Thus, from the block 1'7 is turned a new fore-part portion 2'7, and it will be apparent from a glance at Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 that a wide contrast and range of last shapes and dimensions is capable of achievement by my invention. The cone 28 of the new fore-part portion 27 is higher than the cone 14, and the other portions of the new fore-part portion 27 are of correspondingly contrasting shapes and dimensions.

Thus I am enabled to reclaim a discarded last, rebuild the same to coincide with a new style change or character, and produce a last which to all intents and purposes is as useful as a new last, but at a fraction of the expense required to build such a corresponding new last.

The advantages, efficiency, benefits, savings and economies of my present invention will be readily apparent to and appreciated by shoe manufacturers and others skilled in this art.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated the fore-part por tion 11 provided with a groove 29 in which is seated a tenon 30 formed as an integral part of the fore-part portion 27. This tenon and groove construction will still further strengthen the union between the fore-part portion 11 and the new fore-part portion 27.

The vast amount of savings effected by my invention will be more fully understood when it is considered that in carrying out my invention I save the entire heel-part with its cone and thimble, and the rear part of the fore-part, together with all of the hardware consisting of the hinge links, metal dowels, springs, and the like. and again utilized in carrying out my invention is the most expensive part of the last, and these facts will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art.

While I have necessarily described my present invention somewhat in detail, it will. be appreciated that I may vary the size, shape, and arrangement of parts within reasonably wide lim its, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Also, I may again rebuild a previously rebuilt last by simply removing the forepart portion and replacing it and again turning down to a different model. Continuous renewals can thus be effected as long as the hinge members and heel part remain serviceable.

My invention is further described and defined in the form of claims as follows:

1. The method of rebuilding lasts, which com prises the steps of removing a substantial portion of the forepart of a last along a line of out extending from behind the top of the cone of said forepart to the bottom of the tread portion thereof, and substituting for said removed portion a forepart portion of different dimensions than the portion removed.

2. The method of rebuilding lasts, which comprises the steps of severing a substantial portion of the forepart of a last along a line of cut extending from the top of the cone of said forepart to the bottom of the tread portion thereof, providing a block of wood with a preformed face cooperating with the face from which said forepart portion has been severed, coating one or both of said contacting faces with adhesive, applying the block to said forepart, and forming the said block to a forepart portion of different dimensions than the said removed portion.

3. The method of rebuilding lasts, which comprises the steps of severing a substantial portion of the forepart of a last including the cone thereof along a line of cut extending from behind the top of the cone of said forepart to the bottom of the tread portion thereof, providing a block of wood with a preformed face cooperating with the face from which said forepart portion has been severed, coating one or both of said contacting faces with adhesive, applying the block to said forepart, binding said block to the remainder of said forepart by mechanical uniting means, and forming the said block to a forepart portion of different dimensions than the said removed portion.

4. The method of rebuilding lasts, which comprises the stepsof severing a substantial portion of the forepart of a last including the instep portion thereof along a line of cut extending from the top of the cone of said forepart to the bottom of the tread portion thereof, providing a block of wood with a preformed face cooperating with the face from which said forepart portion has been severed, forming a groove in the face of the remainder of the forepart formed by the line of out, forming a tenon on the contacting face of said block, coating one or both of said contacting faces with adhesive, applying the block to said forepart, binding the said block to the said forepart by mechanical uniting means, and forming the said block to a forepart portion of difierent dimensions than the said removed portion.

Thus the part of the last which is saved 5. The method of rebuilding lasts, which comprises the steps of severing a substantial portion of the forepart of a last along a line of cut extending from behind the top of the cone of said forepart to the bottom of the tread portion thereof, providing a block of wood with a preformed face cooperating with the face from which said forepart portion has been severed, forming a groove in the face of the remainder of the forepart formed by the line of cut, forming a tenon on the contacting face of said block, coating one or both of said contacting faces with adhesive, applying the block to said forepart, binding the said block to the said forepart by mechanical uniting means, and forming the said block to a forepart portion of difierent dimensions than the said removed portion.

6. A last comprising a forepart having two portions, each of said portions being provided with a cooperating contacting face extending from the top of the cone of said forepart to the bottom of the tread portion thereof, said portions being adhesively united, and mechanical means further uniting said portions.

7. A last comprising a forepart having two portions, each of said portions being provided with a cooperating contacting face extending from the top of the cone of said forepart to the bottom of the tread portion thereof, said portions being adhesively united, mechanical means further uniting said portions, one of said forepart portions having a groove formed therein, and a tenon on the other of said forepart portions located in said groove.

8. A last comprising a forepart having two portions, each of said portions being provided with a cooperating contacting face extending from the top of the cone of said forepart to the bottom of the tread portion thereof, said portions being adhesively united, mechanical means further uniting said portions, and non-metallic means to conceal and protect said mechanical uniting means.

ERNEST W. DURKEE. 

